Tf)e55ep6erd  Pjafm 


for  Gbifdren 


^    ^/:^  1900  A 

I 


BS  1450  .23  .B25  1899 
Baldwin,  Josephine  L. 
The  shepherd  psalm  for 
children 


David  the  Shepherd  Boy  Overcomes  the  Lion. 


v/ 


The  Shepherd  Psalm 

for 

Children 


BY 


JOSEPHINE  L.  BALDWIN 


New  York        Chicago        Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literature 


Copyright,  1899 

by 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


Contents 


PAGE 

The  Shepherd  Psalm 5 

II 

God's  Loving  Caee 10 

m 

A  Sky  Full  of  Goodness 15 

IV 
Pebfect  Peace 20 

V 

Strength  for  the  Weak 25 

VI 

Guidance  in  the  Right  Paths 29 

VII 
Courage  in  Dark  Places 35 

VIII 
A  Voice  in  the  Heart 41 

IX 
A  Feast  in  Safety 46 

X 

Honor 49 

XI 

Blessings 54 

XII 
A  Home  in  Heaven 58 

Hymn 64 

3 


I.      THE   SHEPHERD    PSALM 

OiS'E  day  little  Ellen,  while  turning  over 
the  leaves  of  a  book  that  belonged  to  her 
mother,  found  a  pressed  rose.  She  laughed 
as  she  said,  "  How  funny  this  faded  flower 
looks  when  the  garden  is  full  of  lovely 
fresh  roses ! " 

"  Yes,"  her  mother  replied,  "  but,  Ellen, 
that  withered  rose  is  more  beautiful  to  me 
than  any  that  grow  in  the  garden,  because 
when  I  was  a  little  girl  about  your  age  it 
helped  me  to  bear  a  great  trouble." 

5 


6     The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

Of  course  Ellen  wanted  to  know  how 
that  could  be,  and  her  mother  told  her  the 
story.  She  had  lost  her  father  and  mother 
when  a  little  girl,  and  was  taken  to  a 
strange  place  to  live  among  people  she 
had  never  seen  before.  Ellen  could  under- 
stand just  a  little  about  how  lonely  she 
must  have  been,  for  once  when  she  went 
away  from  home  to  stay  only  a  week  she 
cried  every  day  because  she  was  so  home- 
sick, and  yet  she  knew  she  was  going  to 
see  her  mother  soon  again.  So  she  asked, 
"  Did  you  cry  ?  " 

"Yes,  dear,  I  cried  very  hard,  and  it 
seemed  to  me  I  could  never  be  happy 
again.  I  went  into  the  garden  and  threw 
myself  on  the  grass  under  the  trees  and 
sobbed  out  loud,  thinking  no  one  was  near. 
Soon  I  heard  the  voice  of  a  girl  about  my 
own  age,  who  begged  me  not  to  cry,  and 
asked  what  was  the  matter.  "We  seemed 
to  be  friends  in  a  few  moments,  for  she 
made  me  feel  that  she  was  sorry  for  me 
and  loved  me.  As  she  went  away  she 
promised  to  call  for  me  to  go  to  school 
with  her  the  next  day,  and  gave  me  the 
rose  she  had  in  her  hand,  to  make  me  re- 


The  Shepherd  Psalm  7 

member,  she  said,  that  we  were  to  be 
friends,  and  that  I  was  not  to  cry  any 
more.  It  did  help  me  to  be  brave  and 
cheerful,  and  that  is  the  reason  I  have 
kept  it  twenty  years.  It  seems  beautiful 
to  me,  and  I  love  to  look  at  it." 

"  It  is  beautiful,  mother,"  said  Ellen,  as 
she  closed  the  book,  gently,  "  and  I  love  it 
too,  better  than  all  the  roses  in  the  garden, 
since  I  know  its  story  and  how  it  helped 
you." 

Long,  long  ago  a  poem  was  written 
which  I  think  is  the  most  beautiful  poem 
in  all  the  world.  You  might  not  think  it 
very  wonderful  if  you  were  to  read  it  over 
without  knowing  anything  about  it;  but 
when  you  understand  all  that  the  words 
mean,  you  will  like  it  better;  and  when 
you  know  that  it  has  helped  more  people 
when  they  were  sick,  or  sad,  or  afraid,  or 
when  they  were  dying,  than  any  other 
poem  ever  did,  I  am  sure  you,  too,  will 
think  it  very  beautiful. 

Because  it  can  be  such  a  comfort  to 
those  who  read  or  learn  it,  I  want  to  tell 
you  about  it ;  for  if  you  have  it  safely  put 
away  in  your  own  mind  it  Avill  be  there  to 


8     The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

help  you  when  you  need  it,  and  you  will 
have  it  ready  to  tell  to  some  one  else. 

If  you  were  to  see  it  you  might  not 
think  it  a  poem,  because  the  words  do  not 
rhyme,  and  it  is  not  always  printed  as 
poems  are.  The  reason  it  is  different  in 
these  ways  is  that  it  has  been  changed 
into  our  language  from  another;  for  it 
was  written  in  the  far-off  country  where 
Jesus  lived  when  He  was  on  the  earth,  a 
thousand  years  before  He  came,  and  in  a 
strange  language  that  you  and  I  could  not 
read  at  all.  It  was  written  to  be  sung  in 
church,  and  so  is  called  a  Psalm. 

The  name  of  the  man  who  wrote  it  is 
David,  who,  when  he  was  a  man  was  a 
great  king;  but  when  he  was  a  boy  he 
took  care  of  his  father's  sheep.  That 
might  have  been  an  easy  thing  to  do  if  he 
could  always  have  stayed  near  home  with 
them.  But  there  was  not  pasture  enough 
near  by,  so  he  had  to  go  away  with  the 
flock  for  weeks  at  a  time,  and  not  only  see 
that  they  had  plenty  to  eat  and  drink,  but 
protect  them  from  the  wild  animals  that 
lived  in  the  mountains. 

He  loved  his  sheep  so  much  that  when 


The  Shepherd  Psalm  9 

a  lion  came  and  took  one  in  his  mouth, 
David  made  him  drop  the  sheep  and  then 
killed  him.  He  did  the  same  Avith  a  bear 
who  tried  to  steal  some  of  his  flock.  ^  He 
was  not  afraid  of  the  wild  animals,  so  he 
must  have  been  brave ;  he  was  watching 
and  ready  to  help  the  moment  he  saw  a 
sheep  in  danger,  so  we  know  he  was  care- 
ful; and  he  was  willing  to  risk  his  own 
life  to  save  one  of  his  flock,  which  shows 
that  he  was  a  loving  shepherd. 

When  David  wrote  this  Psalm,  he 
thought  so  much  about  the  time  when  he 
was  a  shepherd,  and  said  so  much  about 
the  way  a  shepherd  takes  care  of  his 
sheep,  that  it  has  been  called  the  shep- 
HEED  PSALM.  It  lias  a  number  too,  and 
is  often  called  by  that  because  of  the  place 
it  has  among  the  Psalms  in  the  Bible.  If 
you  look  for  it  there  you  will  find  that  it 

is  the  TWEIs'TY-THIRD. 

'  I  Samuel  xvii.  34,  35. 


II.    god's  loving  care 


David  was  the  youngest  son  in  his 
father's  family,  and  while  he  was  tending 
sheep  his  brothers  were  away  fighting  in 
the  king's  army.  One  day  David's  father 
asked  him  to  go  and  take  some  presents  to 
his  brothers  and  to  their  captain.  So 
David  left  his  sheep  with  a  keeper  and 
started.  "When  he  reached  the  place  where 
the  army  was  encamped,  he  found  that 
King  Saul's  army  was  on  a  hill  on  one  side 
of  a  valley,  and  their  enemies  on  the  op- 

10 


God's  Loving  Care  11 

posite  hillside.  Looking  across  he  saw  a 
very  tall  man  come  clown  into  the  valley, 
and  heard  him  say  in  a  loud  voice,  "  I  defy 
the  armies  of  Israel  this  day ;  give  me  a 
man,  that  we  may  fight  together.  If  he 
be  able  to  fight  with  me  and  to  kill  me, 
then  will  we  be  your  servants :  but  if  I 
prevail  against  him,  and  kill  him,  then 
shall  ye  be  our  servants,  and  serve  us." 

David  was  astonished  that  any  one  in 
that  army  should  dare  defy  God's  people, 
and  yet  he  saw  that  every  one  in  Saul's 
army  was  afraid  of  the  giant,  and  that  no 
one  dared  go  to  meet  him.  But  David 
was  not  afraid.  He  knew  that  God  would 
take  care  of  any  one  who  trusted  in  Him, 
and  that  God  was  able  to  conquer  even 
such  a  giant ;  so  he  wanted  to  answer  the 
challenge.  Some  one  told  Saul,  who  did 
not  seem  at  first  to  think  that  David  was 
big  enough  or  strong  enough  to  fight  with 
a  giant.  But  David  told  him  about  the 
lion  and  the  bear  that  he  had  killed,  and 
then  Saul  said  "  Go,  and  the  Lord  be  with 
thee." ' 

You  know  the  story,  I  am  sure,  and  can 

'  I  Samuel  xvii. 


12  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

tell  the  name  of  the  giant,  and  what  David 
used  as  a  weapon,  and  how  it  all  ended ;  and 
you  can  see  how,  when  he  was  doing  his 
duty  every  day  as  a  shepherd  he  was  get- 
ting ready  to  do  this  great  work  for  his 
king  and  his  people.  If  he  had  not  been 
brave  away  on  the  hills  where  only  God 
could  see,  he  could  not  have  been  brave  in 
the  valley  of  Elah  where  the  soldiers  of 
two  armies  Avere  Avatching  him,  and  where 
the  safety  of  his  whole  nation  depended 
on  his  success. 

After  the  fighting  was  over  Saul  was  so 
pleased  with  what  David  had  done  that  he 
invited  him  to  live  in  the  palace.  But  in 
a  little  while,  when  the  people  sang  songs 
of  praise  for  Saul  they  put  in  David's 
name  too,  and  even  gave  David  ten  times 
as  much  praise  as  they  did  Saul.^  That 
did  not  please  the  king  at  all,  and  he  be- 
came very  jealous,  so  that  soon  it  was  not 
safe  for  David  to  stay  where  Saul  was, 
and  he  went  away.^  But  Saul  had  grown 
to  hate  David  so  that  he  sent  men  out  in 
every  direction  to  find  and  kill  him,  and 
David  had  to  hide  in  the  forests  and  caves 

*  I  Samuel  xviii.  7.  ^  i  Samuel  xix.  10-12. 


God's  Loving  Care  13 

of  the  mountains  for  a  long  time.  He  was 
often  hungry  and  cold,  and  must  have  been 
lonely  and  sad  so  far  from  all  the  people 
and  places  that  he  loved. 

I  do  not  know  surely,  but  I  think  that 
some  day  when  David  was  hiding  from 
King  Saul  he  remembered  the  time  when 
he  took  care  of  his  father's  sheep,  and 
how  carefully  he  watched  to  see  that  they 
were  not  hungry  or  thirsty,  and  that  they 
did  not  get  into  danger.  Then  he  thought 
of  himself,  hunted  by  men  who  wanted  to 
kill  him  as  the  wild  animals  wanted  to  kill 
his  sheep,  and  perhaps  down  in  his  heart 
he  said,  "  I  wish  I  had  some  one  to  take 
care  of  me  as  I  used  to  care  for  my  sheep, 
some  one  who  loved  me  as  I  loved  them." 

But  if  he  did  think  that,  I  am  sure  his 
very  next  thought  was,  "  Why  I  have ! 
There  is  Some  One  who  cares  for  me ;  One 
who  is  wise,  strong,  loving, — better  than 
an  earthly  shepherd  ever  could  be."  And 
because  David  knew  this  he  began  his 
Psalm  with  these  words,  "  The  Loed  is 
MY  Shepherd,  I  shall  not  want." 

To  know  that  he  was  being  cared  for 
all  the  time  by  his  Heavenly  Father  must 


14  The  Shepherd  Psalm 

have  been  a  great  comfort  to  David. 
Earthly  shepherds  cannot  always  watch, 
for  they  must  sleep  sometimes ;  but  in  an- 
other Psalm  David  says  about  the  Lord, 
his  Shepherd,  "  He  that  keepeth  Israel  shall 
neither  slumber  nor  sleep  "  ;  ^  so  he  knew 
that  every  moment,  day  and  night,  the 
Lord's  loving  care  was  over  him. 

That  was  a  very  pleasant  thought  for 
David,  but  it  would  not  help  other  people 
very  much  if  no  one  but  David  could  have 
this  loving  care.  If  you  have  ever  seen  a 
flock  of  sheep  you  know  that  one  shepherd 
can  care  for  a  good  many  sheep  and  lambs 
if  they  follow  him.  But  the  Lord,  David's 
Shepherd,  has  room  for  all  the  people  in 
the  world,  grown  people  and  children  too, 
and  He  wants  every  one  to  come,  and  all 
who  hear  to  say  "Come."^  So  all  who 
love  and  obey  Him  have  His  tender  care, 
and  each  one  may  say  for  himself,  "  The 

LOED  IS  MY  ShEPHEKD,  I  SHALL  NOT 
WANT." 

'  Psalm  cxxi.  4.  'Revelation  xxii,  17. 


III.      A   SKY  FULL   OF   GOODNESS 


A  LITTLE  boy  whose  name  is  Arthur, 
wanted  his  pony  to  eat  grass,  but  did  not 
want  to  turn  him  loose  in  a  meadow  for 
fear  he  would  not  come  to  be  harnessed 
when  the  children  wanted  to  go  out  rid- 
ing. So  a  stake  was  driven  into  the 
ground  and  the  pony  tied  to  it  with  a  long 
rope,  and  Arthur  thought  there  was  plenty 
of  grass  in  the  space  where  the  pony  could 
go,  to  feed  such  a  small  horse  a  long  time. 

But  when  he  went  out  in  the  afternoon  he 

15 


16  The  Shepherd  Psalm 

found  that  the  pony  was  not  eating,  and 
looking  carefully  he  saw  that  all  the  grass 
as  far  as  the  rope  would  stretch  on  every 
side  was  eaten  off  close  to  the  roots. 

Arthur's  father  had  been  telling  him  the 
evening  before  about  David  as  a  shepherd 
boy.  Arthur  did  not  see  then  why  David 
would  ever  have  to  take  the  sheep  away 
from  home,  for  it  seemed  to  him  that  there 
was  grass  enough  in  their  one  large  meadow 
for  a  thousand  sheep,  and  he  thought 
there  must  have  been  a  great  deal  more 
grass  than  that  on  the  hills  right  around 
Bethlehem.^ 

But  when  he  took  the  pony  back  to  the 
barn  he  said  to  his  father,  "I  do  not 
wonder  now  that  David  had  to  go  away 
from  home  with  his  flock.  If  we  had  four 
ponies  like  Gypsy,  I  believe  they  could  eat 
all  the  grass  in  the  small  pasture,  and  it 
certainly  would  take  a  great  deal  more  than 
there  is  in  the  large  pasture  for  a  flock 
of  sheep." 

When  the  grass  in  the  pastures  near 
David's  home  had  been  all  eaten  off  by  the 
sheep,  more  must  be  found,  and  David 

•  I  Samuel  xvii.  15. 


A  Sky  Full  of  Goodness         17 

would  start  out  with  them  to  look  for  it. 
He  would  lead  them  first  to  the  nearest 
place  he  knew  about  where  there  was 
good  pasture,  and  he  was  glad  when  he 
found  a  meadow  where  the  grass  grew 
thick  and  green,  because  he  knew  that 
there  for  a  while  his  flock  would  have 
plenty. 

But  sheep  do  not  eat  all  the  time,  and 
when  they  are  satisfied  they  like  to  lie 
down  ;  but  after  they  have  rested  a  while 
they  will  be  hungry  again.  So  that  David 
would  want  his  sheep  to  be  all  the  time 
where  the  grass  grows  soft  and  thick.  He 
would  not  like  his  sheep  to  lie  down  to  sleep 
in  a  dusty  road,  or  among  the  rocks  and 
brambles  of  a  mountain.  The  green  pas- 
ture would  be  the  best,  not  only  because  it 
would  be  a  pleasanter  place  to  lie,  but  be- 
cause when  the  sheep  woke  up  and  wanted 
to  eat  they  would  find  the  grass  all  around 
them.  David  would  have  been  glad  to 
keep  his  sheep  in  green  pastures  all  the 
time,  for  then  they  never  would  be  hun- 
gry and  unsatisfied. 

But  David  wanted  more  from  his  Shep- 
herd,  the   Lord,  than   just  something  to 


18  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

eat.  More  than  anything  else  he  wanted 
to  be  good,  and  yet  he  could  not  without 
help,  for  he  had  no  goodness  of  his  own. 
Our  Heavenly  Father,  David's  Shepherd, 
has  all  the  goodness  there  is,  and  a  happy 
thing  for  His  children  to  know  is  that  He 
has  "  a  whole  sky  full  "  enough  for  all  the 
people  in  the  world  "  to  be  good  with  all 
the  time." 

David  knew  this,  and  that  when  he  was 
in  the  mountains  hiding  from  Saul,  far 
away  from  God's  house,  he  was  not  far 
away  from  God's  goodness.  He  was  like 
the  sheep  who  are  asleep  with  the  grass 
growing  all  around  them ;  and  he  thought, 
^'  God's  goodness  is  all  around  me ;  I  can 
have  all  that  I  need  at  any  moment,  wher- 
ever I  am."  This  is  what  he  meant  when 
he  said.  He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in 

GREEN  pastures. 

A  great  many  children,  as  well  as  grown 
people,  can  say  that,  too,  for  themselves. 
They  love  the  Lord,  they  want  to  be  good, 
they  have  no  goodness  of  their  own,  but 
know  that  their  Heavenly  Father  has  so 
much  that  He  has  plenty  to  give  away. 
They  know  that  they   need    not    go    to 


A  Sky  Full  of  Goodness         19 

church  or  any  other  special  place  to  ask 
for  it,  because  whether  they  are  at  school, 
at  home,  on  the  street,  at  work,  or  at  play, 
God's  goodness  is  all  about  them,  and  they 
may  have  all  they  need  at  any  moment. 

Can  you  imagine  a  sheep  so  foolish  that 
when  he  was  hungry  and  in  the  midst  of 
a  meadow  filled  with  sweet  grass,  he  would 
not  eat  ?  You  may  be  sure  that  no  sheep 
would  do  that.  Is  it  not  strange,  then, 
that  boys  and  girls,  who  know  that  their 
loving  Heavenly  Father  has  goodness 
enough  for  all,  and  wants  so  much  to  give 
it  to  them,  do  not  take  it  ? 

Jesus  said,  "  Blessed  are  they  which  do 
hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness :  for 
they  shall  be  filled."^  Those  who  want  to 
do  right  will  need  to  ask  for  goodness  very 
often,  but  if  they  love  the  Lord  they  are 
all  the  time  where  His  goodness  is,  and 
they  may  be  filled  with  it.  That  is  what 
these  words  mean :   He  maketh  me  to 

LIE  DOWN  IN  GREEN  PASTURES. 

1  Matthew  v.  6. 


IV.      PERFECT   PEACE. 


When  David  had  found  pasture  for  his 
sheep  his  work  was  not  finished,  for  they 
would  need  water  as  well  as  food,  and  he 
would  have  to  find  a  good  place  for  them 
to  drink.  Up  in  the  "White  Mountains  in 
our  own  country  there  is  a  stream  which 
comes  dashing  down,  tossing  itself  over 
rocks,  and  rushing  along  at  such  a  rate 
that  people  call  it  "Mad  Kiver."  The 
sides  in  most  places  are  very  steep,  and 
the  water  makes  a  great  noise  as  it  tum- 

20 


Perfect  Peace  21 

bles  over  its  rough  bed.  Such  a  stream  as 
that  would  not  be  a  good  one  at  which  to 
water  sheep,  for  it  is  too  rough  and  would 
frighten  them ;  some  of  the  tender  lambs 
would  get  hurt  on  the  sharp  stones,  so 
we  know  that  no  shepherd  would  choose 
such  a  place  if  he  could  find  water  more 
quiet. 

But  some  animals  are  afraid  to  drink 
even  in  a  good  place.  I  had  a  saddle  horse 
who  had  travelled  a  long  time  on  a  hot 
day  and  was  very  thirsty.  Finding  a  little 
brook  going  so  softly  through  a  meadow 
that  you  could  hardly  see  it  move  at  all,  I 
guided  her  to  it  thinking  she  would  be 
very  glad  to  have  some  of  the  cool  water. 
She  did  want  it,  but  Avhen  she  felt  her 
feet  sinking  into  the  soft  earth  at  the 
edge,  she  was  afraid  and  drew  back.  I 
had  to  coax  her  a  long  time  before  she 
could  get  courage  enough  to  go  to  the 
water.  I  knew  it  was  a  safe  place,  and 
that  if  she  did  not  drink  then  it  would  be 
a  long  time  before  she  could  have  any 
water.  That  is  the  reason  I  took  her  in 
what  seemed  to  her  a  dangerous  place. 
When  she  did  obey  she  found  just  what 


22  The  Shepherd  Psalm  lor  Children 

she  most  needed,  and  was  much  more  com- 
fortable and  contented  afterward. 

I  do  not  know  whether  David's  sheep 
were  ever  afraid  to  drink  where  he  wanted 
them  to,  or  not ;  but  I  do  know  that  he 
AYOuld  not  ask  them  to  go  where  he  was 
not  willing  to  go  himself.  He  led  his 
sheep,  and  to  do  that  he  had  to  go  first 
into  every  place  where  the  flock  went. 
He  led  them  in  the  best  places  for  them 
to  go,  and  when  they  needed  a  drink  he 
led  them  by  still  water,  such  as  we  have 
in  our  picture.  Perhaps  the  sheep  did  not 
always  think  it  was  the  best  place,  but 
they  would  follow  because  they  loved  and 
trusted  their  shepherd,  and  when  they  did 
follow  the}^  found  that  their  wants  wer<, 
satisfied,  and  that  they  were  safe. 

David  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  in  the 
part  of  his  life  when  Saul  was  trying  to 
kill  him,  but  it  was  not  the  worst  kind  of 
trouble  that  any  one  can  have.  If  a  voice 
in  the  heart  says,  "  You  have  been  doing 
wrong,"  then  there  is  no  peace  or  comfort 
until  the  wrong  has  been  forgiven.  But 
David  knew  he  had  done  nothing  to  Saul 
that  he  ought  to  be  sorry  for.     He  knew 


Perfect   Peace  23 

he  had  done  his  duty,  and  that  he  loved 
the  Lord,  his  Shepherd,  and  so  in  his  heart 
he  had  peace  and  happiness,  even  when 
his  body  was  cold,  or  hungry,  or  thirsty. 

One  time  when  the  prophet  Isaiah  was 
writing  a  song  to  help  his  people  to  trust 
in  God,  he  said,  "  Thou  wilt  keep  him  in 
perfect  peace,  whose  mind  is  stayed  on 
Thee :  because  he  trusteth  in  Thee."  ^  And 
that  is  just  about  what  David  thought 
when  he  said  "He  leadeth  me  beside 

THE  STILL  WATERS." 

He  was  having  a  hard  time,  and  the 
way  seemed  rough  and  not  always  safe, 
but  because  the  Lord,  his  Shepherd,  was 
leading  him  he  knew  it  must  be  all  right, 
and  he  was  ready  to  follow  obediently; 
and  because  he  did,  his  Heavenly  Father 
gave  him  peace  and  comfort. 

Very  often  little  people  get  into  trouble 
by  being  disobedient,  and  there  is  no  cure 
for  that  except  coming  back  to  the  loving 
Heavenly  Father  and  asking  for  His  for- 
giveness. But  sometimes  those  who  are 
trying  to  do  right  seem  to  have  a  hard 
time,  and  for  them  there  is  a  message  in 

1  Isaiah  xxvi.  3. 


24  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

these  words  that  David  said.  Kemember- 
ing  what  a  kind,  wise,  loving  Guide  is 
leading,  they  will  know  He  would  not  take 
them  in  an  unsafe  place,  and  they  will  find 
peace  in  thinking,  "  He  leadetii  me  be- 
side THE  STILL  AVATERS." 


V.      STREi^GTH   FOR  THE  AVEAK 


One  time  a  father  and  his  little  boy  had 
to  travel  over  a  road  after  a  heavy  snow- 
storm. The  boy's  mother  hated  to  have 
him  undertake  the  journey,  for  no  one  had 
gone  that  way  since  the  storm  and  no 
paths  had  been  cut ;  but  the  boy  said,  "  I 
shall  be  all  right,  mother,  for  father  will 
be  with  me : "  and  so  they  started,  the 
father  going  ahead  and  the  boy  following, 
stepping  in  the  tracks  which  his  father 
made.     That  was  the  only  way  the  little 

25 


26  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

fellow  could  walk  at  all,  the  snow  was  so 
deep ;  but  even  with  the  help  that  his 
father  gave  him  by  breaking  the  way,  he 
soon  grew  very  tired.  Still  he  struggled 
on  and  did  not  complain;  but  after  a 
while  he  could  not  go  another  step,  and 
sank  down  in  the  snow,  calling  to  his 
father  as  he  fell.  Of  course  3^ou  know 
what  his  father  did.  He  took  him  in  his 
arms  and  carried  him,  very  glad  that  he 
had  strength  enough  for  two,  and  did  not 
let  the  tired  boy  walk  again  until  he  was 
so  rested  that  he  wanted  to  try  his  own 
strength  once  more. 

"When  David  took  his  sheep  out  and  was 
looking  for  pasture  for  them,  they  often 
had  to  travel  a  long  way  before  he  could 
find  a  good  place  for  them  to  stay ;  and  if 
the  road  was  dusty  and  the  day  hot,  very 
often  a  lamb  would  get  so  tired  it  would 
faint  and  drop  down.  The  shepherd  was 
always  watching,  because  he  knew  that 
the  lambs  were  not  very  strong,  and  when 
one  fell  he  would  pick  it  up  and  carry  it 
in  his  arms,  as  that  father  did  his  little 
boy,  and  as  the  shepherd  in  our  picture  is 
doing,  until  it  was  strong  enough  to  walk 


Strength  for  the  Weak  27 

again.  David  was  sorry,  I  am  sure,  when 
one  of  his  flock  lost  its  strength  so  as  not 
to  be  able  to  walk  ;  but  he  was  always 
glad  to  give  such  a  tired  lamb  the  help  it 
needed,  and  would  not  make  it  walk  again 
until  it  was  able  and  willing  to  do  so. 

In  trying  to  obey  God's  rules  David 
grew  tired  sometimes,  and  he  knew  that 
then  he  v»^as  like  the  weak,  fainting  lamb. 
He  knew,  too,  that  the  Lord  loved  him 
a  great  deal  more  than  he  had  loved  his 
tired  lamb,  and  that  when  his  strength 
was  gone  God  would  give  it  back  to  him. 
He  said,  ''He  eestoreth  my  soul." 
This  sounds  hard  to  understand,  but  it 
means  just  this  :  "  When  I  am  tired,  so 
tired  that  I  cannot  walk  in  the  right  way 
any  longer.  He  will  forgive  me  and  give 
me  back  my  strength  to  do  right." 

Children  often  find  it  hard  to  be  good, 
and  sometimes  get  so  tired  trying  that 
they  even  think,  "  It  is  no  use.  I  have 
wanted  to  do  right  and  have  tried  every 
day,  but  I  keep  doing  wrong.  I  am 
just  discouraged  and  cannot  try  any  more." 

It  is  not  easy  to  obey  God's  rules,  and 
no  one  could  walk  in  the  right  way  an 


28  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

hour  alone.  But  because  their  Heavenly 
Father  is  always  near  to  help  the  fainting 
ones,  to  give  strength  to  those  who  are 
weak,  and  courage  to  those  who  feel  that 
they  must  give  up  trying,  even  the  small- 
est children  may  "  behave  wisely  in  a  per- 
fect way."  ^ 

Isaiah  said,  "  The  everlasting  God,  the 
Lord,  the  Creator  of  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
fainteth  not,  neither  is  weary.  He  giveth 
power  to  the  faint ;  and  to  them  that  have 
no  might  He  increaseth  strength."  ^  So 
the  weakest  child  who  loves  God  may  say, 
"  I  am  not  afraid  to  try  to  walk  in  the 
right  way,  for  my  Heavenly  Father  is  with 
me;  and  when  I  am  tired  and  faint  He 
will  give  me  back  my  strength."     He  ke- 

STOEETH   MY    SOUL. 

1  Psalm  ci.  2.  2  Isaiah  xl.  28,  29. 


VI.      GUIDANCE  IN   RIGHT  PATHS 


The  wisest  man  who  ever  lived  says, 
"  A  good  name  is  rather  to  be  chosen  than 
great  riches,"  ^  and  he  also  saj^s,  "  Even  a 
child  is  known  by  his  doings."  ^ 

I  once  heard  a  man  tell  a  carriage  dealer 
whom  he  met  on  the  street,  that  he  wanted 
to  buy  a  carriage  of  a  certain  kind.  The 
dealer  said,  "  I  have  just  the  sort  that  you 
want." 

"  Who  made  it  ?  "  asked  the  man.  The 
dealer  told  him. 

1  Proverbs  xxii.  I.  sproverbs  xx.  II. 

29 


30  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

"  I  will  take  it,"  he  said,  as  soon  as  he 
knew  the  price. 

I  was  very  much  surprised,  and  said  to 
him  afterward,  "  How  did  you  happen  to 
buy  a  carriage  that  you  had  not  seen  ?  I 
should  think  you  would  want  to  look  at  it 
so  as  to  be  sure  that  it  is  all  right." 

"  Oh  no,"  he  said,  "  I  know  it  will  be 
right.  I  know  the  man  who  made  that 
carriage,  and  he  could  not  make  a  poor 
one  if  he  tried."  You  see  that  carriage 
maker  had  a  good  name  in  his  business. 

Every  one  who  does  any  kind  of  work 
has,  among  people  who  know  him,  either  a 
good  or  a  bad  name  as  a  workman.  Chil- 
dren in  school  are  known  as  good  or  poor 
scholars  according  to  the  way  they  do 
their  work  ;  that  is,  they  "  are  known  by 
their  doings "  :  and  the  ones  who  have  a 
good  name  are  trusted  and  honored,  and 
make  their  teachers  and  parents  happy. 

Some  people  were  once  riding  in  a  stage 
coach  through  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The 
night  was  dark  and  rainy,  and  the  roads 
were  very  rough,  so  that  the  coach  rocked 
from  side  to  side,  and  the  people  inside 
were    very    much    frightened,    expecting 


Guidance  in  Right  Paths         31 

every  moment  to  be  upset.  A  little  girl 
began  to  sob,  and  even  grown  people  were 
ready  to  cry  with  fear.  But  a  gentleman 
said,  "  There  is  not  any  serious  danger. 
Our  driver  is  the  best  in  the  mountains. 
He  is  very  careful,  has  been  over  the  road 
hundreds  of  times,  and  has  never  had  an 
accident.  This  is  a  bad  night,  but  with 
such  a  driver  I  feel  sure  we  will  get 
through  safely." 

When  they  heard  this  the  passengers 
were  comforted  right  away.  They  were 
ready  to  trust  a  driver  w^ho  had  such  a 
good  name,  and  he  did  take  them  safely  to 
their  stopping-place. 

We  may  be  very  certain  that  David  had 
a  good  name  as  a  shepherd,  and  that  any  of 
his  father's  neighbors  would  have  been  will- 
ing to  trust  their  sheep  to  his  care.  He  must 
have  had  the  name  of  being  kind,  wise, 
brave,  careful  and  strong.  And  yet  he 
could  not  always  know  how  to  choose  the 
best  way  to  go.  Suppose  he  came  to 
a  place  where  the  road  branched  off  in 
two  ways  as  it  does  in  our  picture ;  if  one 
looked  just  as  safe  as  the  other,  and  he 
had  never  been  over  either,  he  could  not 


32  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

tell  which  would  be  the  better  for  him  to 
take.  If  a  great  many  ^Yi\d  animals  had 
come  at  once  after  his  sheep,  he  might  not 
have  been  strong  enough  to  drive  them 
away,  or  to  keep  them  from  killing  some 
of  his  flock. 

No  earthly  shepherd,  however  wise  and 
loving,  could  always  know  just  what  it 
would  be  best  to  do  for  his  sheep ;  and  the 
strongest  would  some  time  grow  weak  and 
sick.  But  the  Lord,  in  whose  care  David 
wished  to  be,  could  see  all  the  way  that 
he  must  take,  from  the  beginning  to  the 
end.  Not  only  all  the  goodness  but  all 
the  wisdom  in  the  world  is  His,  so  that  He 
is  called  All- wise ;  He  has  so  much  poAver 
that  Almighty  is  one  of  His  names ;  and 
the  Bible  says,  God  is  Love.  David  had 
learned  to  trust  his  earthly  father,  and 
many  people  that  he  knew  who  had  a  good 
name ;  but  how  much  more  could  he  trust 
his  Heavenly  Father,  his  Shepherd,  whose 
name  is  so  great  and  holy !  "Whenever 
David  thought  about  the  Lord's  name,  he 
would  think,  "  My  Guide  knows  all  things, 
has  all  power,  and  loves  me  with  an  ever- 
lasting love ;  He  could  not  lead  me  in  any 


Guidance  in  Right  Paths         33 

wrong  way ; "  and  because  he  knew  this, 
he  said,  He  leadeth  me  in  the  paths 

OF     EIGHTEOUSNESS      FOR     HiS      NAME'S 
SAKE. 

If  a  flock  of  lambs  and  sheep  were  wise 
enough  to  tell  what  they  wanted,  and 
could  choose  their  own  shepherd,  they 
would  certainly  be  very  careful  in  select- 
ing one.  Months  at  a  time  Avhen  they 
were  away  on  the  hills,  their  safety  and 
comfort  would  depend  on  their  guide,  for 
they  are  more  helpless  than  most  other 
animals  and  cannot  take  care  of  them- 
selves at  all. 

But  lambs  and  sheep  cannot  choose 
whom  they  will  follow.  They  must  take 
the  shepherd  that  is  put  over  them, 
whether  he  is  wise  and  good,  or  careless 
and  unloving. 

For  children,  who,  like  the  tender  lambs, 
need  constant  care,  and  cannot  find  the 
right  way  alone,  there  is  only  one  Shep- 
herd who  is  wise  and  great  and  loving 
enough  to  lead  them  safely.  Thousands 
of  children  have  heard  His  call,  and  are 
following  Him.  They  and  all  who  pray 
as  David  once  did,  "  For  Thy  name's  sake 


34  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

lead  me,  and  guide  me  'V  niay  joj^fully  say 
each  day,  He  leadeth  me  iis"  the  paths 
OF    righteousness    for    His    name's 

SAKE. 

*  Psalm  xxxi,  3. 


VII.      COURAGE  IN   DARK   PLACES 


A  PARTY  of  missionaries  were  in  a  ter- 
rible storm  on  the  China  Sea.  The  ship 
rolled,  and  the  great  waves  broke  over  it 
until  even  the  captain  thought  that  the 
ship  and  all  on  board  would  be  lost.  Early 
in  the  evening  all  the  lights  w^ent  out 
because  they  could  not  be  kept  burning 
when  the  ship  w^as  tossed  about  so  violently. 
This  darkness  made  the  night  seem  more 
fearful.  But  the  ship  weathered  the 
storm,  and  when  the  daylight  came  again 

36 


3G  The  Shepherd  Psahn  for  Children 

the  vrind  went  down,  the  sea  became  more 
quiet.  Through  all  that  night  one  little 
girl  on  board  did  not  show  any  sign  of 
fear,  and  when  the  danger  was  over  some 
one  asked  her  how  she  could  be  so  brave. 
"Why,"  she  said,  "as  long  as  the  lights 
were  there  I  could  see  my  father  near  me, 
and  after  the  lights  went  out  he  held  my 
hand,  so  I  knew  he  was  there,  and  I  am 
never  afraid  where  he  is." 

When  two  mountains  are  as  near  to- 
gether as  these  in  our  picture,  the  valley 
between  gets  very  little  sunshine,  and  to 
any  one  going  into  it  on  a  warm,  bright 
day,  it  would  seem  both  cold  and  dark. 
In  Scotland  there  is  such  a  valley  which 
the  peojDle  call  the  Pass.  JSTear  it  lived  a 
shepherd  who  for  thirty  years  had  watched 
his  flocks  and  pastured  them  on  one  side 
or  the  other  of  the  mountains  through 
which  the  Pass  gave  a  road.  This  man 
knew  about  the  Lord,  David's  Shepherd, 
and  all  his  life  he  loved  and  followed  Him. 

But  there  came  a  day  when  Donald  was 
too  sick  to  go  out  with  his  sheep,  and 
when  the  doctor  said  that  he  would  never 
be    able    to    go    again.     Then    Donald's 


Courage  in  Dark  Places  37 

friends  found  that  he  was  afraid.  It 
seemed  very  strange  that  a  man  who  had 
followed  the  Good  Shepherd  so  many 
years  should  have  any  fear.  The  minister 
could  not  understand  it,  but  when  he 
talked  with  Donald  he  found  that  he  really 
was  afraid,  so  he  said, 

"  Donald,  have  you  ever  taken  your 
sheep  through  the  Pass  on  a  sunshiny  day  ?  " 

"  Many  times,"  was  the  answer. 

"How  did  they  act?" 

"  They  were  afraid." 

"  Why  were  they  afraid  ?  " 

"  Because  it  was  dark  in  the  Pass." 

"  What  did  they  do  ?  " 

"  They  crowded  close  to  me,  so  close  I 
could  hardly  walk,"  said  Donald,  smiling 
as  he  remembered  it. 

"What  makes  it  so  dark  in  the  Pass?" 

"  The  shadow  of  the  mountain." 

"While  you  were  in  the  shadow  with 
your  sheep,  did  you  think  that  the  sun  had 
stopped  shining  ?  " 

"  'No,  I  was  sure  it  had  not." 

"  You  knew  it  was  shining  brightly 
when  you  went  into  the  shadow,  and  that 
when  you  came  out  on  the  other  side  you 


38  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

would  find  it  shining  there.  Donald,  why 
can  you  not  be  as  wise  as  your  sheep  were  ? 
You  are  in  the  shadow  now  because  you 
are  passing  through  a  valley.  You  led 
your  sheep  through  the  Pass  because  you 
wanted  to  take  them  to  a  better  pasture ; 
and  so  the  Lord,  your  Shepherd,  is  leading 
you  to  a  far  better  place  through  the  val- 
ley of  the  shadow  of  death.  It  seems 
dark  to  you,  but  you  have  been  living  all 
your  life  in  the  bright  sunshine  of  God's 
love,  and  in  a  little  while  you  will  be 
where  it  will  shine  more  brightly  than 
ever.  "Why  will  you  not  do  as  your  sheep 
did  with  you,  and  get  close  to  your  Shep- 
herd? If  you  do  that  you  will  not  be 
afraid  any  more." 

Donald  saw  then  that  he  had  been 
thinking  only  about  the  dark,  and  had 
forgotten  the  Leader,  who  was  with  him 
even  there ;  so  he  went  very  near  to  his 
loving  Heavenly  Father  in  prayer,  asking 
for  help  in  his  weakness,  and  as  soon  as  he 
did  this  he  found  the  darkness  growing 
less  and  his  fear  all  gone.  In  a  little 
while  he  had  passed  beyond  the  shadow 
of  the  valley  into  the  happy  home  that 


Courage  in  Dark  Places  39 

the  Lord  had  ready  for  him,  where  there 
never  will  be  fear,  or  pain,  or  shadows  of 
any  kind.^ 

David  had  seen  his  sheep  many  times  in 
dark  places  when  they  were  afraid  unless 
they  could  hear  his  voice  and  know  he  was 
near ;  and  the  way  they  trusted  him,  even 
in  such  places,  taught  him  to  trust  the 
Lord,  his  Shepherd,  always  and  every- 
where. He  knew  that  some  day  he  would 
have  to  pass  through  the  valley  of  death ; 
but  he  knew  that  his  Heavenly  Father 
would  be  leading  him  as  he  walked  that 
way,  and  Avith  Him  so  near  he  would  not 
be  afraid  :  and  that  is  the  reason  he  could 
say,  Yea,  though  i  walk  through  the 

VALLEY  OF  THE  SHADOW  OF  DEATH,  I 
WILL  FEAR  NO  EVIL  ;  FOR  ThOU  ART  WITH 
ME. 

This  is  a  beautiful  part  of  David's 
Psalm,  and  one  that  we  would  like  every 
one  to  know  about,  because  some  day  all 
the  people  who  are  living  in  the  world 
must  go  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow 
of  death,  and  they  would  be  so  much  hap- 
pier if  they  could  know  that  the  darkness 

^  Revelation  xxi.  4. 


40  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

is  only  a,  shadow,  and  that  they  need  not 
have  the  least  fear  if  they  are  where  their 
Heavenly  Father  is.  Though  they  cannot 
see  Him,  He  will  be  near,  and  then,  even 
the  most   timid   can  say.  Yea,  though 

I  AVALK  THROUGH  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE 
SHADOW  OF  DEATH,  I  WILL  FEAR  NO  EVIL  ; 

FOR  Thou  art  with  me. 


.^^Y 


VIII.      A   VOICE   IN   THE   HEART 


Whenever  David  went  out  with  his 
sheep  he  carried  a  rod  and  staif,  such  as 
we  see  in  our  picture.  The  rod  with  its 
heavy  end  was  used  to  protect  the  sheep 
from  wild  animals,  and  you  can  see  how 
much  easier  it  would  be  for  a  shepherd  to 
frighten  away  or  kill  a  lion,  bear  or  wolf 
with  such  a  club  as  that,  than  it  would  be 
for  him  to  do  it  without  any  weapon  at 
all. 

The    staff  he   used   in  many   different 

41 


42  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

ways.  It  was  long,  and  if  he  saw  a  little 
lamb  turning  from  the  right  path,  he 
would  stretch  out  the  staff  to  guide  it 
back.  But  sometimes  the  lamb  would  not 
obey,  or  even  come  when  the  shepherd 
called,  but  would  run  away,  and  not  see- 
ing the  danger,  fall  over  the  edge  of  a 
steep  place,  where  it  would  lie  frightened 
and  unable  to  help  itself.  Then  the  shep- 
herd, reaching  down  with  his  staif,  could 
hook  it  gently  around  the  lamb  and  draw 
it  back  to  safety.  When  they  were  at 
home  and  went  into  a  fold  every  night, 
the  she^^herd  held  his  staff  at  the  gate  of 
the  fold,  so  low  down  that  each  one  of  the 
flock  as  it  passed  under  would  touch  it. 
In  this  way  the  shepherd  counted  them 
and  if  one  was  missing  he  would  go  to 
look  for  it,  after  shutting  the  rest  up  safely 
in  the  fold. 

If  the  sheep  could  have  understood,  it 
would  have  been  a  comfort  to  know  that 
their  shepherd  had  something  besides  his 
two  hands  to  protect  them  with,  however 
strong  he  might  be.  Any  lamb  who  had 
fallen  over  steep  rocks  would  be  glad  to 
think  that  his  shepherd  had  a  staff  with 


A  Voice  in  the  Heart  43 

which  he  could  reach  and  draw  him  back. 
And  if  some  lamb  that  had  wandered  from 
the  flock  when  trying  to  have  his  own 
way  could  know  about  such  things  at  all, 
he  would  think,  as  he  lay  out  in  the  dark- 
ness and  cold  alone,  "When  the  rest  of 
the  flock  pass  under  my  shepherd's  staff  as 
they  go  into  the  fold,  he  will  miss  me,  and 
then  he  will  come  to  look  for  me,"  and 
that  thought  would  comfort  the  little 
lamb  who  had  done  wrong  and  was  sorry, 
and  very  anxious  to  get  back  to  his  kind 
shepherd's  care  and  to  the  safe  fold  again. 

Sheep  and  lambs  could  not  understand 
much  about  these  things,  but  David  knew 
all  about  the  rod  and  the  staff,  and  had 
used  both  many  times.  He  knew  that 
Satan  was  always  watching,  trying  to 
destroy  those  who  Avere  following  the 
True  Shepherd;  but  he  knew,  too,  that 
the  Lord's  strength  is  like  a  mighty  rod, 
which  protects  all  who  love  Him,  and  it 
was  a  comfort  to  David  to  know  that  he 
could  trust  in  that  strength  much  more 
than  the  sheep  could  trust  in  the  shepherd's 
rod. 

Do  you  remember  the  story  of  Daniel, 


44  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

and  how  Satan  tried  to  make  him  stop 
praying  to  God  ?  ^  He  could  not  have 
kept  on  in  his  own  strength,  but  the  Lord 
helped  him  with  His  strength  so  that  he 
was  able  to  do  what  was  right  even  though 
he  knew  he  would  be  put  in  a  den  of  lions 
for  doing  it. 

Shadrach,  Meshach  and  Abednego 
trusted  in  God,  and  in  His  strength  they 
were  brave  enough  to  say,  "  Be  it  known 
unto  thee,  O  king,  that  we  will  not  serve 
thy  gods,  nor  worshij)  the  golden  image 
which  thou  hast  set  up."^  They  were 
thrown  into  a  fiery  furnace,  but  the  Lord 
whom  they  served  Avas  Avith  them  there. 

Satan  wants  to  ruin  the  souls  of  people 
by  getting  them  to  do  wrong,  but  God's 
power  protects  and  saves  those  under  His 
care,  from  the  evil  that  Satan  tries  to  do 
them. 

When  a  child  starts  to  do  wrong  he 
hears  what  seems  like  a  little  voice  in  his 
heart  saying,  "Don't  do  that!  That  is  not 
right."  If  he  goes  on  and  does  the  wrong 
thing,  he  hears  that  same  voice,  saying, 
"You   have   done  wrong!     Are   you  not 

»  Daniel  vi.  2  Daniel  iii.  18. 


A  Voice  in  the  Heart  45 

sorry  ?  Go  and  tell  your  mother  about  it, 
and  promise  her  that  you  will  not  do  that 
again."  That  voice  God  has  put  in  every 
child's  heart  to  do  for  him  what  the  shep- 
herd's staff  does  for  the  sheep :  to  keep 
him  from  turning  to  the  wrong  way,  and 
to  bring  him  back  from  the  wrong  way 
when  he  is  disobedient. 

David  had  such  a  voice  in  his  heart,  and 
knew  his  kind  Heavenly  Father  Avas  using 
it  all  the  time  to  keep  him  in  the  right 
way,  or  bring  him  back  to  it ;  and  because 
he  liked  to  think  about  this,  and  about  his 
Shepherd's  strength,  he  said,  "Thy  eod 
AND  Thy  staff  they  comfort  me." 

All  who  are  glad  that  their  Heavenly 
Father  will  protect  them  from  harm,  and 
guide  them  every  day  in  the  right  way, 
who  like  to  hear  and  obey  the  voice  in 
their  hearts,  and  to  know  that  God  has 
put  it  there,  think  just  as  David  did  about 
these  things,  and  they  too  can  tell  what 
they  feel  by  saying,  "  Thy  rod  and  Thy 
staff  they  comfort  me." 


■^        II—    ll    ■   .  -L' 


Vv 


IX.      A   FEAST  Ij^   SAFETY 

A  CERTAIN  shepherd  had  a  pasture  up 
on  the  side  of  a  mountain  where  he  often 
took  his  sheep.  Around  it  on  three  sides 
were  very  thick  woods  in  which  were 
many  wild  animals.  Generally  they  came 
out  of  their  hiding-places  only  at  night  to 
look  for  food,  but  at  certain  times  in  the 
year  they  were  so  hungry  that  they  came 
to  the  edge  of  the  forest  in  the  daytime, 
ready  to  seize  and  carry  off  any  sheep  or 
lamb  that  came  near  where  they  were. 
The  shepherd  knew  that  then  it  was  not 

46 


A  Feast  in  Safety  4Y 

safe  for  his  flock  to  wander  about  the  field, 
and  yet  they  must  be  fed.  So  he  made  a 
crib  something  like  the  one  we  have  in  our 
picture,  and  filling  it  with  grass  called  his 
sheep  and  lambs  around  it ;  and  there  they 
could  eat  in  safety,  for  he  was  near  to  pro- 
tect each  one.  The  wild  animals  looking 
out  from  the  woods  could  see  them  eating, 
but  dared  not  come  near  to  harm  them. 
ISTo  doubt  the  sheep  would  rather  nibble 
the  grass  where  it  grows,  but  when  their 
enemies  were  so  near  they  would  be  glad 
to  have  it  put  where  they  could  eat  it  with- 
out being  in  the  least  afraid. 

Perhaps  David  was  thinking  of  some- 
thing  like  this  when  he  wrote,  "Thou 

PREPAKEST  A  TABLE  BEFORE  ME  ITT  THE 
PRESENCE  OF  MINE  ENEMIES."   God  had 

prepared  a  table  for  him  filled  with  His 
goodness,  His  mercy  and  His  love,  and 
though  Satan  would  not  want  him  to  have 
any  of  these  things,  he  could  not  keep  him 
or  take  him  away  from  the  feast. 

But  David  was  more  to  his  Heavenly 
Father  than  a  sheep  is  to  his  shepherd.  A 
sheep  cannot  talk  to  the  shepherd,  but 
David  could  and  did  talk  with  God  many 


48  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

times  every  day.  So  when  he  thought  of 
God's  table  spread  for  him,  he  thought 
about  it  not  so  much  as  the  food  a  shep- 
herd prepares  for  his  sheep,  but  rather  as 
a  feast  made  ready  for  a  friend, — a  friend 
who  could  understand  the  giver's  kindness, 
speak  his  thanks  and  tell  his  love. 

It  is  wonderful  to  think  of  David  as  be- 
ing loved  and  cared  for  by  the  Lord,  his 
Shepherd,  as  an  earthly  shepherd  cares  for 
his  sheep.  But  it  is  much  more  wonder- 
ful to  know  that  David  could  also  be  God's 
friend,  and  talk  with  Him. 

God's  table  is  spread  all  the  time  for 
His  friends.  Jesus  said,  "Ye  are  my 
friends  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command 
you,"  ^  and  all  who  obey  the  Lord  are  His 
friends,  and  have  a  place  at  this  feast. 
Satan  tries  to  keep  all  mercy,  goodness, 
and  love  away  from  every  one,  but  each 
guest  at  the  Lord's  table  will  have  plenty 
of  everything  good,  and  can  say  to  the 
Giver  of  every  good  and  every  perfect 
gift,^  "Thou  prepakest  a  table  be- 
fore ME  IN  THE  presence  OF  MINE 
ENEMIES." 

*  John  XV.  14.  2  James  i.  17. 


X.      HONOR 

There  are  many  different  ways  of 
showing  honor  to  people  who  deserve  it. 
In  that  book  of  the  Bible  which  tells  the 
story  of  Esther  and  is  called  by  her  name, 
there  is  a  story  also  about  Mordecai,  a  Jew, 
the  cousin  of  Queen  Esther.  He  had  a 
high  oiRce  in  the  service  of  Ahasuerus,  the 
king,  and  he  found  out  that  two  of  the 
chamberlains  who  had  become  angry  about 
something  were  planning  to  kill  the  king. 
This  Mordecai  told  to  Esther,  and  she  told 

49 


50  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

the  king;  and  so  his  life  was  saved  and 
the  wicked  men  were  put  to  death.  Gen- 
erally any  one  who  did  such  a  service  as 
this  for  a  king  was  rewarded  in  some  way, 
but  Mordecai  was  not.  The  king  seems 
to  have  forgotten  about  it  until  one  night 
when  he  could  not  sleep  and  had  the  book 
brought  in  which  had  been  written  down 
all  the  things  that  had  happened  during 
his  reign,  that  it  might  be  read  to  him. 
"When  the  part  was  reached  that  told  about 
Mordecai  and  the  two  men  who  wanted 
to  murder  the  king,  Ahasuerus  said,  "  What 
honor  and  dignity  hath  been  done  to  Mor- 
decai for  this  ?  "  The  servants  answered, 
"  There  is  nothing  done  for  him."  ^  Then 
the  king  ordered  his  chief  prince  to  put 
some  of  the  royal  garments  upon  Mordecai, 
place  the  crown  upon  his  head,  mount  him 
upon  one  of  the  king's  own  horses  and 
lead  the  horse  through  the  city,  saying  to 
every  one  as  they  went  along,  "  Thus  shall 
it  be  done  to  the  man  whom  the  king 
delighteth  to  honor." 

Every  American  boy  and  girl  knows  the 
story  of  Hobson,  and  the  dangerous  task 

>  Esther  vi.  3. 


Honor  51 

he  and  the  men  with  him  undertook.  All 
the  men  on  the  different  ships  of  the  fleet 
knew  what  was  going  to  be  done,  probably 
none  thought  those  who  went  would  live 
to  see  home  and  friends  again,  and  yet 
they  wanted  to  go.  Only  a  few  could  be 
chosen,  and  all  felt  that  it  would  be  a  great 
honor  to  be  among  those  few.  It  was  an 
honor,  as  it  always  is  to  be  trusted  to  do  a 
hard  thing.  When  Hobson  came  back  to 
this  country  people  everywhere  showed 
that  they  honored  him  for  what  he  had 
done ;  but  the  greatest  honor  he  ever  had, 
or  could  have,  was  when  his  country 
chose  him  to  do  the  work  that  has  made 
his  name  famous. 

The  Lord  chose  David  to  do  a  hard  thing 
when  He  let  him,  a  mere  boy,  try  to  kill  a 
great  giant  w^hose  body  was  covered  with 
armor ;  and  in  being  chosen  for  this  work 
he  was  honored  above  every  one  else  in  his 
nation. 

I  was  once  invited  to  a  dinner  party  to 
meet  a  lady  whom  I  had  never  seen  but 
wanted  very  much  to  know,  having  read 
several  books  that  she  had  w^ritten.  At 
the  house  there  were  so  many  strange  peo- 


62  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

pie  that  I  could  not  tell  on  going  into  the 
parlor  which  one  was  she.  But  in  a  mo- 
ment we  went  into  the  dining-room,  and 
then  I  found  out  right  away.  JSTo  one 
pointed  her  out  to  me,  but  I  knew  that  the 
guest  for  whom  the  dinner  was  given,  the 
one  to  whom  special  honor  was  to  be 
shown,  would  sit  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
person  who  gave  the  dinner.  So,  when  I 
saw  who  sat  in  that  place  I  knew  she  was 
the  one  who  wrote  the  books  that  had 
given  me  so  much  pleasure. 

In  the  time  when  David  lived  they  had 
a  different  way  of  showing  honor  to  a 
guest.  When  all  the  people  who  had  been 
invited  were  seated  at  the  table,  the  host 
would  go  to  the  one  whom  he  wished  most 
to  honor,  and  pour  some  oil  on  his  head 
from  a  horn  such  as  we  have  in  the  picture. 
So  by  anointing  his  head  with  oil  he  said 
to  all  the  people  there,  "  This  man  I  have 
reason  to  honor,  and  I  wish  you  to  honor 
him  too." 

You  remember  that  when  David  said, 
"  Thou  preparest  a  table  before  me 
IN  the  presence  of  mine  enemies,"  he 
thought  of  God  as  his  Friend,  as  well  as 


Honor  53 

his  Shepherd ;  a  Friend  who  had  invited 
him  to  a  feast,  and  whose  guest  he  was. 
But  he  was  even  more  than  that ;  he  was 
an  honored  guest,  and  that  is  what  he 
means  when   he   says.  Thou  anointest 

MY  HEAD  WITH  OIL. 

The  Lord,  David's  Shepherd,  is  called  in 
the  Bible  the  "  King  of  kings."  He  is  the 
King  as  well  as  the  Heavenly  Father  of 
those  who  serve  Him.  He  puts  His  own 
garment  on  those  whom  He  honors,  "  the 
robe  of  righteousness,"^  and  He  crowns 
them  with  "loving-kindness  and  tender 
mercies."^  Mordecai  was  the  only  one 
whom  King  Ahasuerus  delighted  to  honor 
by  letting  him  wear  the  king's  robe  and 
crown,  but  the  King  of  kings  honors  all 
who  love  Him,  so  that  each  one  has  the 
same  right  that  David  had  to  say,  Thou 

ANOINTEST  MY  HEAD  WITH  OIL. 

» Isaiah  Ixi.  lo.  »  Psalm  ciii.  4. 


..~_.f2 


XI.      BLESSINGS 


Helen  came  into  the  house  one  day 
with  a  very  cross,  discontented  look  on  her 
face,  and  throwing  herself  in  a  chair  she 
said,  "  Grace  Colgate  has  everything  nice, 
and  I  never  have  anything !  Her  father 
gave  her  a  boat  last  summer,  and  it  is  the 
prettiest  row-boat  on  the  lake,  and  now  he 
has  given  her  a  pony  and  cart,  and  I  can't 
even  have  a  bicycle." 

"  Grace's  father  has  plenty  of  money  and 
can  give  her  many  things  that  your  father 

54 


Blessings  55 

cannot  afford,"  answered  her  mother, 
gently,  "  but  you  ought  to  be  glad  that  your 
friend  has  these  pleasures  even  if  you  can- 
not have  them.  Come,  now,  let  us  see  how 
many  you  have  !  There  is  an  empty  glass 
and  a  pitcher  of  water.  We  will  call  the 
glass  your  life,  and  as  we  think  of  blessings 
you  can  pour  in  the  water,  and  we  will 
see  how  full  your  life  really  is  of  good 
things ! " 

Helen  was  amused  with  the  idea,  but  as 
she  went  to  the  table  she  said  she  was  sure 
that  the  glass  would  not  be  half  full.  As 
her  home,  food,  clothing,  school  and  friends 
were  spoken  of,  Helen  poured  some  w^ater 
into  the  glass,  but  suddenly  she  stopped 
and  said,  "Why,  I  have  you,  mother!" 
and  quickly  filling  the  glass  to  the  brim, 
she  added,  ''  There  isn't  room  to  show  how 
glad  I  am  that  I  have  you,"  and  throwing 
her  arms  around  her  mother's  neck  she 
asked  to  be  forgiven  for  having  been  so 
unthankful.  After  they  had  talked  it  all 
over  together,  Helen  said,  "  When  I  was 
thinking  about  Grace's  pony  and  boat  I 
thought  she  ought  to  be  a  very  happy  girl, 
but  now  when  I  remember  that  she  has  no 


66  The  Shepherd  Psahn  for  Children 

mother  everything  seems  different.  She 
has  blessings,  but  the  ones  I  have  are 
greater." 

The  Bible  savs,  "A  faithful  man  shall 
abound  with  blessings."  ^  David  was  a 
faithful  man,  and  he  had  so  many  bless- 
ings that  he  could  not  tell  how  many.  He 
had  more  than  his  life  full,  he  thought,  so 
he  had  to  say  My  cup  runneth  over. 

But  those  who  love  God  now  and  are 
faithful  to  Him,  have  one  blessing  in  their 
lives  that  David  did  not  have  in  his ;  the 
greatest  Gift  that  God  ever  gave  to  this 
world.  The  verse  which  tells  about  it 
says,  "God  so  loved  the  world  that  He 
gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whoso- 
ever believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish, 
but  have  everlasting  life."^ 

It  is  easier  for  those  who  want  to  follow 
the  Lord,  David's  Shepherd,  to  do  so  now 
than  it  was  for  David,  because  Jesus  has 
lived  on  the  earth  to  show  the  way ;  and 
it  was  Jesus  who  taught  all  people  that 
He  and  His  Father  wanted  the  children  to 
come,  as  well  as  the  grown  people.^    So 

1  Proverbs  xxviii.  20.  «  John  iii.  i6. 

3  Matthew  xix,  14;  Mark  x.  14;  Luke  xviii.  16. 


Blessings 


57 


with  this  great  Gift  of  God's  love,  and  all 
the  other  blessings  in  their  lives,  all  of 
God's  children  ought  to  say  even  more 
gladly  than  David  did,  My  cup  kunjN'eth 

OVER. 


^•n^— >—•«'?■ 


QlVESni 

Goodness  j/.     Comfort 

Peace     ^^^^^x.       Plenty 

OTRENCTH    -^^^^^^^^DArfTT 

Guidance   .f^^^M^iHoKOR 

CoURAOr^^'^  ^#    ■^^'DL£55INGS 

'""-^    Heaven 


^J 


XII.      A   HOME  IN   HEAVEN 

In  this  Psalm  David  has  told  us  of  many 
things  that  the  Lord,  his  Shepherd,  gave 
him.  First  of  all  David  knew  that  the 
Lord  Avould  give  him  all  the  goodness  he 
needed,  and  because  he  could  have  it  at 
any  time,  he  was  like  sheep  who  are  lying 
down  with  grass  all  around  them.  Often 
he  had  hard  things  to  bear  that  would 
have  troubled  him  very  much  if  the  Lord 
had  not  been  leading  him.      But  as   He 

58 


A  Home  in  Heaven  69 

was,  David  found  jpeace^  which  was  lil^e 
the  quiet  where  still  waters  flow,  and  he 
tells  us  about  it  by  saying,  He  leadeth 

ME    BESIDE    THE    STILL    WATERS.      Often 

David  fainted  when  trying  to  walk  in  the 
right  way,  and  had  no  strength  left  to  be 
good  with  any  longer.  Then  his  watchful, 
loving  Shepherd  gave  him  strength  so  that 
he  could  go  on,  and  that  made  David  so 
happy  that  he  was  very  glad  when  he  said. 
He  restoeeth  my  soul. 

Some  animals,  when  they  have  been  over 
a  certain  road  many  times  learn  the  way  so 
that  they  are  able  to  go  alone ;  others  can 
find  their  way  to  one  place  from  another 
even  though  they  have  never  been  that 
way,  by  a  power  which  God  has  given 
them.  But  sheep  can  do  neither  of  these 
things;  they  can  never  be  trusted  to  go 
alone,  but  must  be  guided  and  led  always. 
People  who  want  to  walk  in  the  right  way 
must  have  a  Shepherd  to  guide  them,  be- 
cause they  are  like  sheep  about  this  and 
cannot  find  the  way  at  all  alone.  David 
needed  guidance^  and  knew  the  Lord  would 
guide  him,  and  because  of  the  names  by 
which  his  Shepherd  was  known,  he  said, 


60  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

He  leadeth  me  in  the  paths  of  right- 
eousness FOR  His  name's  sake. 

People  are  very  often  afraid  in  the  dark, 
but  David  did  not  think  he  would  be ;  in 
fact  he  felt  so  sure  he  would  not  be  that 
he  tells  us,  Yea,  though  I  walk  through 

THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  SHADOW  OF  DEATH, 

I  WILL  FEAR  NO  EVIL.  But  he  did  not 
say  this  because  he  was  such  a  brave  man 
that  he  thought  he  could  go  through  the 
valley  alone  without  fear.  He  expected 
to  have  courage^  but  not  of  himself.  Like 
every  good  thing  that  he  had,  it  would 
come  from  his  Shepherd,  and  the  reason 
he  would  have  no  fear  is  because  his  Shep- 
herd would  be  with  him. 

It  gave  David  comfort  to  think  of  his 
Shepherd's  great  strength  and  of  the  voice 
that  David  could  hear  each  day  in  his 
heart  warning  him  not  to  go  into  wrong 
ways.  At  the  table  of  his  Lord  he  found 
aplenty ^  and  though  enemies  might  be  near 
he  knew  his  Shepherd  would  be  nearer, 
and  so  he  would  have  safety.  The  Lord,  his 
friend  as  well  as  his  Shepherd,  had  given 
David  honor ^  too,  and  so  many  hlessings 
that  his  life  could  not  hold  them  all,  which 


A  Home  in  Heaven  61 

is  just  the  way  God  has  promised  to  bless 
those  who  keep  His  commandments/ 

All  these  gifts  from  the  Lord  David  had 
found  in  his  life  when  he  wrote  this  Psalm ; 
and  because  he  meant  to  keep  right  on  fol- 
lowing where  the  Lord  led,  he  felt  sure  he 
would  always  have  them,  and  so  he  said, 
Surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall 

FOLLOW  me  all  THE  DAYS  OF  MY  LIFE. 

When  David  was  away  from  home  with 
his  flock,  the  sheep  and  lambs  had  to 
spend  the  nights  out  of  doors  in  all  kinds 
of  weather,  because  there  was  no  fold  into 
which  they  could  go.  But  when  they 
came  back  home  they  would  find  there  a 
fold  such  as  we  have  in  our  picture,  with 
its  thick  walls  and  strong  gate  to  keep 
them  safe,  and  a  covered  place  for  rainy 
weather.  Do  you  not  think  they  would 
be  very  glad  to  get  into  the  fold  ? 

David  had  something  better  than  com- 
ing home  to  such  a  fold  to  think  about. 
David's  Shepherd,  the  Lord,  has  a  beauti- 
ful place  ready  for  all  the  people  who  love 
Him.  It  is  a  Citv  with  walls  and  twelve 
gates.     God's  book  says  that  the  founda- 

>  Malachi  iii.  lo. 


62  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children 

tions  of  the  walls  are  garnished  with  all 
manner  of  precious  stones,  and  the  gates 
are  of  pearl.^  Into  that  home  no  sorrow, 
nor  tears,  nor  pain  can  ever  enter,  but 
there  will  be  songs,  and  joy,  and  gladness 
forever.  David  knew  that  this  home  was 
waiting  for  him  just  the  other  side  of  the 
valley  through  which  he  would  pass  some 
day,  and  he  called  it  The  house  of  the 
LORD.     You  and  I  call  it  heaven. 

So  you  see  he  was  talking  of  his  life 
here  when  he  said.  Surely  goodness  ats^d 

MERCY  SHALL  FOLLOW  ME  ALL  THE  DAYS 

OF  MY  LIFE ;  and  he  was  thinking  about 
his  home  in  heaven  when  he  added.  And  I 

WILL  DAVELL  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  THE  LORD 
FOREVER. 

Because  these  gifts  from  the  Heavenly 
Father  are  not  for  David  alone,  the  words 
in  the  heading  of  this  chapter  are  printed 
so  that  each  one  who  reads  them  may  say, 
— not  "  David's  Shepherd  gave  him,"  but 
"  My  Shepherd  gives  me  "  all  these  things. 
Is  it  not  a  happy  thought  that  every  one 
may  have  such  blessings  ?  Of  course  only 
those  who  love  the  Lord  and  obey  Him 

1  Revelation  xxi.  19-21. 


A  Home  in  Heaven  63 

can  have  them,  but  He  wants  every  one  to 
follow  Him,  and  all  may  if  they  will.  So  in 
ending  the  study  of  this  Psalm,  I  will  say  to 
you  what  Paul  once  wrote  to  some  people 
whom  he  loved  very  much  and  wanted  to 
help :  "  Be  ye  followers  of  God  as  dear 
children."  ^ 

Then,  if  you  are  His  followers,  these 
last  words  of  the  Psalm  will  tell  how 
happy  the  years  that  are  coming  to  you  in 
this  life  will  be,  and  how  sure  you  are, 
when  they  are  over,  to  have  a  home  in 
that  City  which  has  no  need  of  the  sun  nor 
the  moon  to  shine  in  it,  for  the  glory  of 
the  Lord  is  the  light  of  it :  ^  Sueely  good- 
ness AND  MEECY  SHALL  FOLLOW  ME  ALL 
THE  DAYS  OF  MY  LIFE  ;  AND  I  WILL 
DWELL  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  THE  LOED  FOE- 
EVEE. 

1  Ephesians  v.  i.  2  Revelation  xxi.  23. 


Like  Obedient  Lambs. 


J.  L.  B 

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Like  obedient  lambs,  who  follow 

Where  their  shepherd  leads  each  day, 

We  will  follow  God,  our  Leader, 
Gladly  His  commands  obey. 

With  God's  goodness  all  around  us. 

We  no  want  can  ever  see ; 
When  we  walk  in  darkest  shadow, 

Close  beside  us  He  will  be. 


Goodness,  mercy,  honor,  blessings, 
God  will  give,  if  we  are  true : 

And  a  home  with  Him  forever 

When  our  journey  here  is  through. 


64 


Suggestions  to  Teachers 

WHO  WISH  TO  USE 

,  The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children^ 

AS  A  BASIS  FOR 

Oral   Instruction 

BY    JOSEPHINE   L.    BALDWIN 

The  plan  of  preparing  an  explanation  of  "  The 
Shepherd  Ps aim  for  Children''  originated  in  a 
desire  to  put  it  in  such  shape  that  teachers  of 
primary  and  intermediate  classes,  and  those  of 
Junior  Epworth  Leagues  and  Junior  Christian  En- 
deavorers,  would  find  it  suggestive  when  teaching 
the  Psalm  as  a  lesson  supplemental  to  the  regular 
international  lesson,  or  to  the  topic  of  the  day. 
Later  it  seemed  wise  to  so  change  the  character  of 
the  presentation  that  the  book  could  be  used  as  a 
gift  book  to  be  put  directly  into  the  hands  of  the 
child.  This  made  necessary  the  introduction  of 
various  Bible  and  other  stories  in  order  to  main- 
tain the  interest  of  a  child  reading  alone,  which  it 
would  not  be  essential  or  wise  to  introduce  when 
teaching  the  Psalm  orally. 

The  purpose  of  this  leaflet  is  to  outline  the  gen- 
eral method  which  the  writer  would  use  in  teach- 

*  Copyright,  1899,  by  Fleming  H.  Revcll  Company. 

i 


ii  Suggestions  to  Teachers 

ing,  and  to  intimate  what  portions  of  each  chapter 
of  the  book  as  printed  she  would  omit  in  oral  in- 
struction. These  are  not  expected  to  be  taken  as 
an)rthing  but  suggestions ;  for  no  work  of  this 
kind  should  be  slavishly  followed  by  individual 
teachers.  Each  one  will  naturally  adapt  her  pres- 
entation to  her  own  class,  and  draw  illustrations 
from  her  own  experience  and  reading  where  the 
ones  given  in  the  book  do  not  serve  her  purpose. 

Primary  unions,  where  it  has  not  been  done, 
will  find  the  teaching  of  this  Psalm  as  a  supple- 
mental lesson  for  five  minutes  each  session  until  it 
is  finished,  exceedingly  helpful  to  the  teachers. 
It  should  be  taught  in  every  primary  class  at  least 
once  in  two  years. 

In  this  arrangement  it  is  intended  to  teach  the 
Psalm  in  twelve  lessons  of  about  five  minutes 
each.  It  contains  so  many  distinct  ideas  that 
children  could  not  grasp  any  if  several  were  pre- 
sented at  once ;  and  this  is  the  reason  for  dividing 
it  up  into  such  small  parts,  and  making  it  extend 
through  a  whole  quarter  of  the  year's  work. 

By  far  the  best  method  of  making  the  children 
understand  about  a  shepherd  and  his  sheep,  and 
fixing  the  attention  on  the  special  subject  of  each 
day's  lesson,  is  by  means  of  such  simple  black- 
board illustrations  as  are  placed  at  the  head  of  the 
chapters.  They  should  be  on  the  board  before 
the  school  opens,  as  the  children  will  then  talk 


The  Shepherd  Psalm  for  Children  iii 

together  about  the  picture ;  those  that  understand 
what  they  see  will  explain  to  those  that  do  not, 
the  whole  class  will  become  familiar  with  the  de- 
tails, and  will  not  have  their  attention  distracted 
from  the  lesson  to  the  picture,  as  would  be  the 
case  if  it  were  seen  for  the  first  at  the  moment 
when  it  is  used  in  the  teaching. 

If  the  teacher  positively  cannot  draw  even  a 
simple  picture,  and  cannot  find  some  friend  to  do 
it  for  her,  by  watching  magazines  and  papers  she 
can  find  pictures  of  shepherd  and  sheep,  of  **  still 
waters"  and  "green  pastures,"  and  other  scenes 
similar  to  those  in  the  book.  Cut  out  and  mounted 
attractively,  or  even  unmounted  and  pinned  on 
the  board,  these  may  serve  the  purpose ;  but  black- 
board sketches  would  be  better,  even  though 
crudely  drawn. 

If  the  class  is  familiar  with  the  sand  boards 
many  of  the  lessons  could  be  illustrated  by  using 
it  with  florist's  moss  for  grass,  and  such  trees, 
sheep  and  shepherd  as  can  be  bought  in  any  toy 
store.  But  to  a  class  not  accustomed  to  the  sand 
board,  its  introduction  to  them  in  so  fascinating 
a  form  would  make  it  certain  that  they  would  not 
learn  anything  from  the  lesson  taught,  because 
wholly  occupied  with  the  object. 

A  valuable  aid  toward  the  committing  of  the 
words  of  the  Psalm  to  memory  by  those  who 
have  not  learned  them,  is  in  the  use  of  pictorial 


iv  Suggestions  to  Teachers 

cards  which  contain  the  entire  Psalm,  but  are 
divided  into  ten  parts  by  gilt  lines  upon  which 
they  are  to  be  cut  apart.^  When  the  first  sentence 
is  taught  the  part  containing  it  is  given  to  each 
child,  with  a  blank  card  the  size  of  the  complete 
pictorial  card.  As  the  teaching  progresses,  they 
receive  other  parts  and  paste  them  in  regular 
order  on  the  large  card.  The  words,  which  are 
the  subjects  of  the  tenth  and  eleventh  chapters  in 
this  book,  will  be  found  on  one  card,  but  should 
be  taught  separately,  and  the  card  given  with  the 
second  one.  When  the  Psalm  is  finished  the 
scholars  will  have  an  appropriate  picture  formed 
of  the  separate  parts,  each  of  which  seems  com- 
plete in  itself.  The  giving  of  these  cards  is  an  in- 
cidental stimulus  to  good  attendance,  and  makes 
it  quite  certain  that  none  able  to  attend  will  miss 
the  teaching  of  any  week. 

Since  there  are  so  many  ways  in  which  we  can 
show  to  children  the  tender  love  of  Christ,  "  the 
Good  Shepherd,"  is  it  not  best  to  make  this  beau- 
tiful revelation  of  God's  care,  guidance  and  loving 
kindness  refer  solely  to  the  Heavenly  Father? 
Many  who  are  now  teachers  have  said  that  their 
conception  of  God  in  childhood  was  that  of  an 
avenging  deity,  "angry  with  the  wicked  every 
day,"   but   from   whose  wrath  and   punishments 

•  These  may  be  obtained  of  the  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company. 
("Dissected  cards  for  the  23d  Psalm" — 25  cents  for  a  package  of 
so^3  cents  apiece.) 


The  Shepherd  Psahii  for  Children    v 

Christ  was  ever  trying  to  shield  them.  No  child 
in  this  day  is  apt  to  have  so  extreme  an  impres- 
sion made  upon  him,  but  there  is  danger  along 
this  line  which  may  be  avoided  by  using  this 
Psalm  to  bring  early  to  the  minds  of  the  little 
ones  a  just  conception  of  the  Lord,  who  said  of 
old  to  His  servant,  **  I  have  loved  thee  with  an 
everlasting  love." 

With  intermediate  classes  or  mission  bands,  and 
other  organizations  whose  members  are  above  the 
primary  age,  many  of  such  illustrations  as  should 
be  omitted  for  the  little  children,  might  be  used. 
The  Scripture  verses  and  references,  inserted  to 
stimulate  the  child  who  reads  to  look  for  them, 
and  so  become  more  familiar  with  the  Book,  will 
be  of  little  use  in  teaching  small  children,  except 
where  such  verses  are  already  familiar  to  them. 

For  children  eight  years  of  age  and  under,  in 
the  second  chapter  the  reference  to  Goliath  should 
be  omitted  entirely,  as  the  great  interest  that  chil- 
dren always  have  in  the  story  would  hold  their  at- 
tention to  it  to  the  exclusion  of  the  real  lesson  to 
be  impressed.  In  the  sixth  chapter  the  story  of 
the  carriage  maker  has  too  much  to  do  with  busi- 
ness to  be  understood  perhaps  by  such  young 
children.  In  the  seventh,  the  story  of  the  ship 
should  be  left  out,  as  that  of  the  shepherd  is  as 
much  as  can  be  comprehended,  and  that  alone 
will  best  illustrate  the  text.     The  references  to 


vi  Suggestions  to  Teachers 

Daniel  and  to  the  three  men  in  the  fiery  furnace 
in  the  eighth,  and  to  Hobson  in  the  tenth,  should 
not  be  used  for  the  same  reason  as  that  given  for 
omitting  the  story  of  Goliath.  Of  course  in  this, 
as  in  all  other  primary  teaching,  no  fact  should 
be  directly  stated  that  can  be  drawn  from  the  chil- 
dren by  questions.  These  lessons  will  be  found  to 
afford  unusual  scope  for  questioning,  and  lessons 
presented  in  that  form  will  have  a  vivacity  and  in- 
terest which  can  never  be  given  to  a  printed  page. 

In  the  third  chapter  will  be  found  the  quota- 
tions, "a  whole  skyful  of  goodness,"  and  ''good- 
ness enough  to  be  good  with  all  the  time."  These 
are  from  Miss  Peabody's  "Lectures  to  Kinder- 
gartners,"  and  the  lecture  in  which  they  are  found, 
"A  Psychological  Observation"  should  be  read 
by  every  primary  Sunday-school  teacher.  It  can 
scarcely  be  equalled  as  a  pattern  for  the  presenta- 
tion of  a  new  religious  idea  to  a  child. 

The  hymn  in  the  back  of  the  book  embodies 
the  chief  thoughts  in  the  teaching,  and  is  in- 
tended for  use  in  connection  with  it.  For  the 
reason  mentioned,  I  would  not  have  the  children 
sing  ''  Saviour,  Like  a  Shepherd  Lead  Us,"  while 
learning  this  Psalm.  If  another  hymn  is  desired, 
there  is  a  very  good  one,  especially  for  children 
above  the  primary  age,  in  '*  Welcome  Songs  for 
the  Sabbath-school,"  No.  i,  page  7.^ 

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